wifi booster

[johnstevens77]

I need to boost the wifi signal in our garage which is below the lounge with a concrete floor. The signal in the lounge is good. What do others do?

john

[pje16]

If you have power in the garage that is on the same circuit as the lounge
then these work a treat
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QWKDT96

[BullDog]

Recommend Devolo power line adaptors which are available with WiFi. Presently using them myself.

Other brands are available but I think Devolo are a clear leader in the technology.

[Itsallaguess]

If you have power in the garage that is on the same circuit as the lounge then these work a treat

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QWKDT96

I don't think they're what john is looking for.

You've linked to a pair of 'Smart Plugs', but the OP is looking to extend his wi-fi signal into a room that currently gives signal problem.

I think what the OP is looking for is commonly known as a 'Powerline wi-fi access point', which usually comes in a kit of two elements, one of which sits by the existing router, and connects to it via an ethernet cable, and that unit then uses the local mains electrical wiring to transmit a fast, high-frequency signal through that wiring to the other bit of kit, which in the OP's case would plug in to a socket in the garage, and which would then transmit it's own 'local' wi-fi signal that can be picked up in the garage.

I've been happy with TP-Link kit over the years in this tech-space, and there's a link below to a pair of the above units that's currently on offer and would deliver to the OP's needs -



TP-Link AV600 Powerline Adapter Wi-Fi Kit (currently £39.69) -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220KIT-Powerline-Broadband-Configuration-UK/dp/B01LXOZ4EN

More expensive units are available that offer improved technology and speeds, but for general 'browsing' work in a garage environment, there's no need to spend more than is necessary for this type of solution and the above kit feels like good value if there's no need for any heavier, network-intensive stuff, although I should also point out that the two units linked above also feature ethernet sockets on each end of the kit, so the garage would also be able to benefit from a wired connection if required, and is a feature that's often missing from some of the cheaper 'wi-fi access-point' solutions in this space...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[pje16]

If you have power in the garage that is on the same circuit as the lounge then these work a treat

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QWKDT96

I don't think they're what john is looking for.
You'e linked to a pair of 'Smart Plugs', but the OP is looking to extend his wi-fi signal into a room that currently gives signal problem.

Itsallaguess

OK agreed, but in the description it does say
Wireless Smart Socket

[Imbiber]

I use one of these. It is plugged into a socket in the conservatory and extends WiFi out to 25 metres or so into the garden. Not sure about the concrete.

https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/bro ... tender-300

[swill453]

OK agreed, but in the description it does say
Wireless Smart Socket

Yes, it lets you use WiFi to power an appliance on and off.

Scott.

[AF62]

I need to boost the wifi signal in our garage which is below the lounge with a concrete floor. The signal in the lounge is good. What do others do?

What do I do - well to get a good signal in my house from where the router is in an upstairs room at the back to a downstairs at the front, then as my ISP is BT and I have a BT Smart Hub 2 that supports their 'Complete Home' Wifi discs (https://www.bt.com/broadband/complete-wifi) I bought one of those (plenty on offer on eBay) and although it will work wirelessly, doing that restricts the amount of data it can handle so I chose to install a permanent Cat 6 cable from the router to the disc to provide the maximum backhaul capacity (I have 500Mb FTTP broadband).

Previously I have used other mesh systems, and before that powerline solutions, and all are fine provided you are using them for moderate/low levels of data.

[Gerry557]

I tried the main plug things and they have their uses but a mesh system was much better. You keep the same ssid and basically connect to the strongest signal as you move about.

Now I have strong WiFi everywhere including the garage and garden and you can increase the number of nodes if you have a big place or several floors to cover.

[modellingman]

I tried the main plug things and they have their uses but a mesh system was much better. You keep the same ssid and basically connect to the strongest signal as you move about.

The TP-Link Powerline kit recommended by Itsallaguess also provides a capability to have the wifi on the AV600 plug-in unit use the same SSID as that broadcast by the router. TP-Link refer to this feature as Wifi Clone.

modellingman

[AF62]

I tried the main plug things and they have their uses but a mesh system was much better. You keep the same ssid and basically connect to the strongest signal as you move about.

The TP-Link Powerline kit recommended by Itsallaguess also provides a capability to have the wifi on the AV600 plug-in unit use the same SSID as that broadcast by the router. TP-Link refer to this feature as Wifi Clone.

That isn’t quite the same thing as a well designed mesh system will steer the device to the best WiFi point as you walk around and seamlessly hand over, but when you just clone a SSID then devices tend to hang onto the original connection for dear life, even if there is something better available.

Cloning works if you want to keep things straightforward and use it on devices that don’t move around, but if you have stuff that does (tablets, phones, laptops, etc.) then a mesh system is better.

[bluedonkey]

When I contacted my ISP about a weak signal in part of the house, they sent me a booster for free (plug into the socket).

[BullDog]

As mesh network has been mentioned, just to say that the latest Devolo powerline adaptors have mesh facility to integrate with your router. They are also far higher data rate than previous generations of powerline adaptor. More expensive too but they work extremely well.

[DrFfybes]

We have an old rambling house with thick walls, in the main bedroom the strongest signal is from a Sky wifi booster in the farmyears about 250 yards away.

We have tried numerous wifi boosters, BT discs, cheaper varieties, but to be honest none really do very much.

IME there are 2 alternatives that always work...
1) a MESH network, as used by my niece in her rambling cottage
2) powerline to wifi (oe if the kit you are connecting to has a network socket, you can just use powerline to powerline.

Option 2 is generally cheaper, and it is relatively cheap to add another port if say you want it in the shed and have power down there.

You might want to make sure your adapters are 'pass through' - as you need one socket for your router and one for the powerline, then if you have a phone or lamp next to the router you can come unstuck.... Cheap non pass through https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5585575
Pass through.. https://www.currys.co.uk/products/tplin ... 22016.html

Paul

[9873210]

I chose to install a permanent Cat 6 cable from the router to the disc to provide the maximum backhaul capacity (I have 500Mb FTTP broadband).

If you run a cable to an attached garage, you need fire caulking. If you don't know why you need this don't run a cable to your garage.

[johnstevens77]

Thanks for the replies. We are overseas at the moment and will look into this when we get home.
The reason for the hassle is that our solar array is not connecting to the instaler and they want us to upgrade the signal for fault finding.

john

[jaizan]

That isn’t quite the same thing as a well designed mesh system will steer the device to the best WiFi point as you walk around and seamlessly hand over, but when you just clone a SSID then devices tend to hang onto the original connection for dear life, even if there is something better available.

Good advice.

Also, the 2.4 GHz has greater range than 5 GHz, but the 5 GHz is faster. So my phone typically picks up the 2.4 GHz first when I come back to the house and stays on the 2.4 GHz, even though 5 GHz would be faster.

When I get around to it, my next WiFi system will probably be a mesh system. Even that is complicated, as it seems I have the option of getting little mesh units, or a couple of full scale routers that can do mesh WiFi.

Nobody clearly explains the advantages & disadvantages, so some thinking is required & I haven't figured it out yet.

[AF62]

When I get around to it, my next WiFi system will probably be a mesh system. Even that is complicated, as it seems I have the option of getting little mesh units, or a couple of full scale routers that can do mesh WiFi.

Nobody clearly explains the advantages & disadvantages, so some thinking is required & I haven't figured it out yet.

Separate mesh units - easy to set up as you can leave the existing router, other than turning its WiFi off. Often cheaper than a replacement router.

Dedicated mesh router - harder to set up as you need to replace your existing router, but is more configurable than most routers supplied by your ISP.

[csearle]

That isn’t quite the same thing as a well designed mesh system will steer the device to the best WiFi point as you walk around and seamlessly hand over, but when you just clone a SSID then devices tend to hang onto the original connection for dear life, even if there is something better available.

I've had some experience installing meshed WiFi systems.

One issue that crops up is when you have a location that is equidistant from two wireless access points (WAPs) and, for example, a Sonos system that seeks to stream continuously via the internet. The wretched thing keeps deciding that the grass is greener on the other side of the street and regularly swaps WAP. When this happens you get the situation that the music breaks for a second or two during the transfer, Seamfully as it were. The solution has always been to wire in a WAP close to the Sonos so that it is clear which one has the strongest connexion.

C.

[servodude]

That isn’t quite the same thing as a well designed mesh system will steer the device to the best WiFi point as you walk around and seamlessly hand over, but when you just clone a SSID then devices tend to hang onto the original connection for dear life, even if there is something better available.

I've had some experience installing meshed WiFi systems.

One issue that crops up is when you have a location that is equidistant from two wireless access points (WAPs) and, for example, a Sonos system that seeks to stream continuously via the internet. The wretched thing keeps deciding that the grass is greener on the other side of the street and regularly swaps WAP. When this happens you get the situation that the music breaks for a second or two during the transfer, Seamfully as it were. The solution has always been to wire in a WAP close to the Sonos so that it is clear which one has the strongest connexion.

C.

Not Sonos but same problem - same solution

I did f-about with hysteresis settings on RSSI for handover which works great... until people (the great walking wet sacks of attenuation that they are) move around.
Next time I plan to put the access points in the ceilings

-sd